1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to information processing systems and, in particular, to information filtering and distribution systems.
2. Related Art
The Internet provides a forum for the distribution of information on a global basis. However, typically users are required to actively seek information either by specifying a given website or by performing a search of the information available on the world wide web. This model presumes that the user is already aware of the existence of the information. This model, therefore, does not provide a means for automatically distributing information to interested parties. To solve this problem several "push" technologies have been proposed by companies such as PointCast, BackWeb, and Marimba. These solutions store information in databases on servers, which are polled and queried for new information by the clients at periodic intervals. This architecture, however, has certain inherent disadvantages. First, the database-centric nature of the architecture limits system scalability because the database must repeatedly process user queries. Second, only limited customization of the information delivered to each user is provided since user queries must be kept brief and simple. Third, repeated polling results in a waste of communication bandwidth. Finally, because of delays introduced by the polling interval, these systems are not suitable for the delivery of time-sensitive information.
Email distribution has also been used to address this problem. However, while allowing for personalized information distribution, e-mail distribution of information does not provide fast distribution capability for time-sensitive delivery and dramatically increases the cost of distributing information over the Internet.
There is thus a need for a system for distributing information over the Internet that allows for both a high level of customization in the information distributed and timely delivery of time-sensitive information, without significantly impacting the cost of distributing information over the Internet.